Fat people, alcoholics and drug addicts should blame themselves for their conditions, David Cameron said. Their problems are a result of personal choices and not factors outside their control, the Conservative leader added. ‘We talk about people being at risk of obesity instead of talking about people who eat too much and take too little […]

Teachers, health workers, clergymen and frightened members of the public are buying body armour to protect themselves against Britain’s growing epidemic of knife crime. There has been a surge in sales of anti-stab vests, with fearful council staff, NHS employees and even shop workers asking for protection. Both the health service and the Local Government […]

Shakilus Townsend who was stabbed to death inThornton Heath Five people remain in custody over the murder of Shakilus Townsend as political pressure mounted to end the rising tide of knife crime. Two men, aged 22 and 18, two teenage boys, aged 16 and 17, and a 16-year-old girl are being held at south London […]

The Home Office has marked Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation The military wing of Lebanese political party Hezbollah has been placed on the Government’s list of banned terrorist organisations, it was announced today. Hezbollah’s external security organisation was already included on the list, drawn up under counter-terror legislation passed in 2000, but it has now […]

David Cameron is to join David Davis on the by-election trail David Cameron is travelling to Haltemprice and Howden to give his support to David Davis in what is expected to be the Conservative leader’s only visit during the current by-election campaign. Mr Cameron and Mr Davis will visit a school in Hull and talk […]

Ken Jones, president of ACPO, has called for foundation police forces Police forces which perform well should be given “foundation” status to allow them more independence, one of the country’s most senior officers has said. Adopting a status similar to that of foundation hospitals would allow forces to decide their own priorities locally and focus […]

Abu Qatada The firebrand preacher once described as “Osama bin Laden’s right-hand man in Europe” will be freed on bail in the next 24 hours, it was confirmed today. Abu Qatada won his fight against deportation from Britain in April. Home Office minister Tony McNulty pledged at the time that Qatada would not be released, […]

Winner?: Gordon Brown Gordon Brown is likely to escape defeat in tonight’s crunch Commons vote on extending the pre-charge detention of terrorist suspects to 42 days, the Tories conceded today. Shadow home secretary David Davis said it looked as though the Government would win, even though 30 or more Labour rebels are expected to vote […]

David Davis says the PM is likely to win 42-day detention vote Gordon Brown is likely to escape defeat in the crunch Commons vote on extending the pre-charge detention of terrorist suspects to 42 days, the Tories have conceded. Shadow home secretary David Davis said it looked as though the Government would win, even though […]

Smith has made a final plea to rebels Home Secretary Jacqui Smith today issued a fresh plea for Labour rebels to back an extension of police powers to hold terror suspects for up to 42 days without charge. Ms Smith said the measures were “crucial” as extra safeguards to the planned powers were due to […]

Gordon Brown is defiant over plans for terror suspects’ detention Extra safeguards on planned police powers to hold terror suspects for 42 days without charge are being made public amid signs they could be enough to prevent a Commons defeat for Gordon Brown. The under-fire Prime Minister has defiantly insisted that he will stick to […]

Tony McNulty indicated concessions are likely on terror suspect detention The Government is ready to make concessions over its plans for 42-day detention of terror suspects, a Home Office minister has indicated. Tony McNulty insisted “consensus” was still being sought over the controversial measures. The Home Office is “looking seriously” at allowing Parliament an early […]

Tony McNulty was the latest minister to rally round the PM A Government minister has issued a warning to the “vultures” circling around Gordon Brown, to stop raising questions about his future. Tony McNulty was the latest minister to rally round the Prime Minister, who is under pressure after Labour’s devastating defeat in last week’s […]

Gordon Brown will launch Labour’s campaign for the May 1 council elections Gordon Brown kicked off his first electoral test as Prime Minister with a pledge to boost community policing. He was trying to rally support in the face of suggestions that Labour would have to struggle at the May 1 local elections to do […]

David Davis Britain would become a ‘nation of suspects’ if the Government’s DNA database included all residents, the Shadow Home Secretary warned on Sunday. There should never be proposals for a national fingerprint register either, David Davis added, because it would be ‘criminalising the entire population’. His claims came as the former Home Secretary, David […]

Commons Speaker Michael Martin faces fresh controversy Commons Speaker Michael Martin was under renewed pressure after it emerged his officials deceived the public over his wife’s expenses. The disclosure caused his spokesman, Mike Granatt, to resign for “ethical reasons” after learning he had been misled into wrongly briefing a journalist. He had been led to […]

Mark Dixie’s DNA results were used to catch the murderer Ministers are resisting calls to make the national DNA database compulsory for everyone, despite two high profile murder convictions. Mark Dixie, who murdered teenage model Sally Anne Bowman, and Suffolk serial killer Steve Wright were both caught after their DNA was taken for unrelated offences […]

Islam convert Cerie Bullivant has had control order quashed A control order imposed on a British convert to Islam was quashed after a judge ruled the security services had failed to justify it. MI5 argued they had a “reasonable suspicion” that Cerie Bullivant planned to travel to Iraq or Afghanistan to engage in jihad, or […]

A policeman has died after a colleague was attacked A policeman who died after attending a “domestic incident” was a 48-year-old father of three, Scotland Yard said today. The officer died after being called to a home in Brinkburn Gardens, Wembley, north London, at around 5.45pm yesterday. A man in his 30s was arrested at […]